Recent advances in multimedia-based editors have caused an explosion in the distribution of multimedia objects. Today, audio messages can be distributed and received in the same manner as text-based objects. Yet, certain characteristics of audio objects may be used to differentiate between these objects. In particular, audio objects are isochronous in nature, i.e., time-varying data characteristics of the objects convey information. It is necessary for audio objects to be played at a particular rate in order for the information to be conveyed accurately.
Known systems have addressed methods for developing logical relationships between objects. Some prior art systems provide a means for establishing "folder-like" relationships between objects, even objects that are of differing media types. For example, IBM's Document Interchange Architecture (DIA) describes a method for modeling object relationships as folder and staple constructs. The DIA document structure provides a set of descriptors for each document filed in a library. These descriptors are placed in document profiles and are filed with the documents. The document profiles contain parameters identifying the contents of the documents, such as the name under which it is filed, the authors, the subject it covers, and the date it was filed in the document library.
DIA allows for associating separate objects, such as video, audio, text, etc., as a folder or a staple construct. A folder document is created when a user groups documents into a linear or hierarchical structure. The staple relationship allows a user to attach two documents together. However, often a user desires to reorganize a single object to create a folder or staple construct, rather than associating separate objects into one construct. Prior techniques included cut-and-paste methods to create multiple objects from a single object to establish logical relationships.
Although prior art allowed for decomposition, these cut-andpaste techniques were directed toward textual based objects. Thus, there remains a need for a system and method to decompose an audio message into logical components for simpler comprehension. A user would find particularly useful a method for labeling and organizing different and even overlapping segments within a single audio message. Users desire a mechanism for which the segments of a single audio object can be automatically decomposed and rearranged into a logical relational/hierarchical structure.